


For once I am invisible and you are not

by MissNefer (thorduna)



Series: Prompt fills [9]
Category: Marvel (Movies), Marvel Avengers Movies Universe, Thor (2011)
Genre: Community: norsekink, Fluff, Invisibility, M/M, Magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-02
Updated: 2012-09-02
Packaged: 2017-11-13 09:36:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/502065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thorduna/pseuds/MissNefer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Invisibility is a new experience for Thor, not to mention unexpected. And so is seeing Loki when he thinks he's alone. What will Thor learn?</p>
            </blockquote>





	For once I am invisible and you are not

**Author's Note:**

> Based on a norsekink prompt.  
> Many thanks to Violet (lanuitestcalme) for editing this.

There was a reason why Loki was called the God of Mischief, while Thor was assigned the title of God of Thunder. If Loki had found himself in Thor's situation, thousands of possibilities would have sprung into his mind immediately and he would have rushed off, a grin spreading across his face, to put into action as many of them as possible.

Thor however, stood, stunned and just the tiniest bit afraid.

He had been exploring an unknown city garden in hopes of finding a new secret place for various (or not so various) sorts of meetings with fair maidens who were willing to lift up their skirts for him, when an uncomfortable nudging in his stomach reminded him that he had missed lunch. Reckless as ever, he reached for an unfamiliar, but tasty looking, fruit that was growing on a peculiar tree and bit into it. The taste was sweet, perhaps too sweet, but he devoured the whole thing, eyes roaming lazily over the greenery. He felt a drop of juice trickle down his fingers and lifted his hand to lick it off when he jumped in shock. His hand wasn't there. Nor was the rest of him, as he quickly assessed by looking down at himself. Panicking, he threw the remains of the fruit to the ground and skimmed his hands all over his body to assure himself that he still was. He could feel no difference; every part of him was where it should be... except he was invisible.

What now? What had happened? How could he turn himself back? He looked at the tree and the unknown fruits. Were they the cause? They must have been. Tentatively, he reached out and pulled another one from a low hanging branch. If he was to get help, he would need to bring some evidence. He frowned at the seemingly floating fruit and tried to put it into his pocket. It disappeared. With a nod, he turned to leave, but stopped almost immediately again. Where should he go? He couldn't go to either Mother or Father; he was sure to be scolded for his thoughtless actions. Everyone else was out of question – he could not stand such humiliation, not to mention that most people would not know how to help him.

There was only one choice – Loki. Oh, he would be teased mercilessly, of that he was sure, but in the end, Loki would help him and, if bribed correctly, he could even be persuaded not to share Thor's silly adventure with anyone else.

Determined, Thor started in the direction of the palace.

It was an odd feeling, being unseen. He stepped into a more frequented part of the city; people were milling around and usually, they would stop and bow to him, some women smiling, children staring open-mouthed or giggling and whispering. Now, nothing happened and instead, he had to stealthily avoid bumping into everyone passing him.

He let out a breath of relief when he stepped into the shade of quiet palace corridors and headed for Loki's chambers without delay. He had to smile when he imagined Loki's face when his door opened and closed with seemingly no reason, but another opportunity arose. A servant was just leaving Loki's room, and in a spur of sudden inspiration, Thor slipped through the door before he could close it. Carefully staying close to the wall, for fear of revealing himself sooner than he wished, he looked at Loki.

His brother was just finishing pouring himself a glass of wine, which was presumably the reason for the servant's presence. He raised it to his lips, lost in thought, eyes fixed on some distant point outside the window. Then he put the glass down and sighed, rubbing his eyes and running his fingers through his hair, leaving it dishevelled. Thor paused. He had been almost ready to reveal himself, but something in Loki's stance struck him as odd. Loki thought he was alone after all and Thor was rather painfully reminded that there was a time in their lives when there would be little difference to either of them whether they were alone or with the other. They used to be together all the time and with little, if no secrets between them. Now Thor was looking at Loki as if his dark-haired brother was a stranger. The corners of his mouth were sagged with prolonged sadness and there was not a hint of the usual air of dignity (bordering on arrogance, something Thor knew he had too) or content.

He fidgeted uncomfortably when Loki crossed the room and changed the tunic he was wearing for a lighter one. Thor had seen his brother naked from the waist up often enough, but without his knowledge, it was a breach of privacy and he was starting to see the flaw in his plan. The longer he stayed hidden, the more he would see and when he finally revealed himself, Loki would be (and rightfully so) so mad that he would not help him. No, this would not do. Thor had to wait for a chance to slip away and then come back, announcing his presence immediately. His mind was just exploring the idea that he could simply open and close the door and pretend that he entered when Loki put an end to his blooming plan by locking the door, and as Thor guessed by the odd movements Loki made with his hands over the handle, warding it.

For the next several hours, with a gnawing feeling of sadness and guilt in the pit of his stomach, Thor sat on the floor of Loki's room and watched his brother tirelessly practice a spell. Loki first spent a very long time reading, murmuring something under his breath and then he stood in the middle of the room, sweat pouring off him, repeating the motion and quietly saying words that Thor did not understand. The result of the spell was an odd, long shape of mist of smoke and Thor watched, fascinated, as Loki perfectly controlled its movements, sending it at great speed back and forth, making it explode or implode by will. At first, Thor had no idea what the spell was for, but after watching Loki's manoeuvres, he realized that it was a distraction method for battlefield. Loki could hurl the smoke at his opponent, blind him and startle him and then strike him.

Thor bristled. Loki used such tricks all the time, in every battle or brawl they fought together; he could remember him doing so, and in a way liking his brother's craftiness, but not giving him much credit. Loki had dozens of those spells up his sleeve, and he used them with ease. Did every single one of them require hours of practise? Thor could see how drained Loki was, though he still seemed unsatisfied. He continued working with the smoke, face pale except for two heated, feverish spots on his cheeks and he finally stopped only after his legs wobbled beneath him.

"Damn," murmured Loki, pushing hair out of his face. He headed for what Thor knew was his bathing chamber, unknowingly leaving Thor to reflect on what he had just witnessed.

Thor could feel shame spreading through him. Was this the amount of effort that such magic required? He could not bring himself to name it as a simple trick anymore. He and his friends were always referring to it as that, if they even acknowledged Loki's work before endlessly discussing their own skills and movements. But it was wrong, so wrong.

After a while, Loki emerged from the bath, with wet hair and a towel around his hips. He made straight for the bed and flung himself on it. It wasn't long before all Thor could hear was his brother's even breathing. He got up gingerly, limbs numb from sitting so long on the floor and walked carefully to the bed, looking down at Loki. He was relaxed in his sleep, lying on his stomach with his head to the side and his arms folded under a pillow. Thor smiled and couldn't help reaching out, brushing his invisible fingers gently over Loki's cheek, then withdrawing with a start when Loki shifted and mumbled something. Thor stood stock-still, afraid to even breathe as Loki took a deep breath, yawned and opened his eyes. He looked around warily, but seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he went back to sleep.

When Thor was sure he was sound asleep again, he walked to a far corner of the room and settled himself on a rug, resigned to spending the night here, on the floor in Loki's room, still invisible. His last thought before falling into a restless slumber was cursing himself for eating the damned fruit.

He woke up several times during the night, uncomfortable on the floor, and every time he carefully checked whether he was still invisible. By morning, no change had come. He felt a bit nervous because he apparently had slept through Loki leaving the room but after making sure that he could hear no sounds either inside or outside, he slipped to the hall.

After walking to the kitchens and stealing some food, he dedicated the morning to searching for Loki, deciding that it was a much better idea to approach him somewhere public instead of sneaking into his room again. He had no luck, but around noon, he began to notice that people were looking for him instead – he wasn't seen since the day before, after all, but before he could come up with solution to that, something caught his eye. He was slowly shimmering back to sight. He looked around frantically, but thankfully no one was there to see the transformation and soon he was perfectly visible again.

Throughout the rest of the day, he successfully dodged all the questions about what he had been doing while he was "missing" and was happy to finally retire to his own rooms and think about the previous day. As he was pulling his clothes off, something rattled softly on the floor. The fruit. He had almost forgot about putting it in his pocket. He picked it up, thinking. His invisibility slipped after exactly one day. Was it the fruit's gift? To make a person invisible for one day? It could come very handy, now that he didn't have to worry that it was permanent.

He got into bed and while he tried very hard to come up with all the possibilities of what he could do when no one saw him, his thoughts went repeatedly back to his brother. It was odd to be given view into his brother's privacy and, as wrong as it was, he wished that he could do it again.

In the end, it took him two days to decide to become invisible again. This time, he planned a bit, hinting to his friends that he would do something on his own and dressing in clothes and shoes that made no sound at all. Then he sent a servant to give notice to the kitchens to bring some food into Loki's room, deciding that if slipping around a servant went so well before, he might as well do it again.

After completing his preparations, he bit into the fruit, grimacing, because it was already over-ripe. He ate it quickly and rushed to wait by Loki's door.

The servant appeared within minutes, carrying a full tray, balancing it dangerously while he knocked.

"Yes?" called out.

"I am bringing food, your highness," said the boy. They heard footsteps and Loki opened the door, frowning.

"I didn't call for anything," he said, sweeping his eyes over the delicacies piled up before him.

"Oh I think it was Prince Thor who asked for it," the servant explained.

"Then why are you bringing it to me?" asked Loki, still confused.

"No, I'm sorry, what I mean is that he asked for the food to be brought to you," explained the servant, blushing slightly as he wasn't used to talking to the royalty so much.

"Oh." There was an odd look in Loki's eyes. "Bring it in then."

He stepped aside to let the boy in and it was a perfect opportunity for Thor to slip in. Loki watched as the boy left and let a soft smile appear on his lips. He picked up a piece of his favourite cheese and devoured it happily before settling back at his desk and returning to whatever it was that he was doing.

Thor blinked. The food was to be but a ruse to help him get inside and instead it turned into another remainder of how careless and unappreciative he had lately been of Loki. He settled himself and watched with interest. Loki reading. Loki eating. Loki writing. He almost jumped when he, while rearranging books on a shelf, started humming some melody unknown to Thor. This comfortable picture was however interrupted by a loud knock on the door.

"Yes?" called Loki, this time obviously annoyed.

"It's Sif," came a curt voice. Loki made a face and threw the door open with a spell, turning back to his books. Thor frowned. Why was Loki so unpleasant to Sif? The answer to his unspoken question came quickly.

"What do you want?"

"Oh don't worry, I'm not here because of you," she snapped at him and Thor only gaped as she continued to speak to his brother. "I'm looking for Thor."

"Well, he's obviously not here, so you can leave."

"I can see he's not here," she replied icily. "But do you know where he is? He has been acting weird these past few days. Did you do something to him? Some pleasant little trick of yours?"

"Take care how you speak," Loki told her dangerously, finally giving her his full attention. "I don't know where Thor is. Now get out."

Sif did, slamming the door. Thor turned back to Loki disbelievingly. Loki's lips were pursed and there was a spark of anger in his eyes. How dare Sif talk to Loki like that? Did this happen often when he was not present? Judging by Loki's reaction, it seemed so.

The tranquillity of Loki spending time with books and writing was obviously fragile, because after attempting to return to his previous work, he huffed in indignation and looked around the room, slumping in the chair. Thor could see the play of emotions on his face so openly. He could hardly imagine Loki being so honest and expressive with anyone else present. First, it appeared that he was annoyed and jittery, and then an idea, a pleasant idea, struck him. He got up, rummaged shortly in one of the chests and then lied on the bed. Thor was confused; it was still the middle of the day. Only after Loki had waved his hand and he could hear the door locking and he saw that the object Loki had pulled from the chest was a vial of oil did he begin to understand.

 _Oh no,_ he thought. _No, no. Not this. Oh gods. I'm so sorry, brother._

Of all the private things that he knew he risked seeing Loki do, this hardly had crossed his mind. Reserved, composed Loki. Well. That was all gone now, as Loki rather shamelessly (after all, what had he to be ashamed of, he thought he was alone) tended to his pleasure. Thor tried not to look, but he couldn't help a glimpse here and there and the sounds Loki was making were more than enough. To his absolute horror, Thor felt his pants tighten with arousal. If his face was visible, it would be bright red with embarrassment and mortification.

The rest of the day was torture. Loki seemed to calm himself down well enough and he stayed in bed, reading peacefully, while Thor sat there, unseen, inwardly scolding himself and absolutely disgusted with his own actions. He wished nothing more than to leave, but that wasn't granted to him until evening, when a page appeared with a message from Mother for Loki. Thor fled the room recklessly, startling the page with an inexplicable gust of wind.

When he was visible again, he sought out his friends, noticing Sif's studying gaze and finding little enjoyment in their company.

He wished to see Loki desperately.

His actions, however misguided and immoral, showed him how much he was missing his brother. And not just his presence – they were together often enough, but his brother. The person he loved above all. Why were they pulled apart? Did it have something to do with how his friends treated Loki when he wasn't around?

But then there was the question of the private, all too private thing he had witnessed Loki do. Will he be able to face him now without blushing? And why, why did his body react to the soft sound of Loki's moans like that? He forced the thought from his mind and went to visit Loki.

He knocked, while simultaneously calling: "Hello, brother, it's me."

"Come in, Thor," came the moderate reply. He entered, a genuine smile on his lips. Loki was at his desk again, but nothing was in front of him, no opened book, and Thor noticed he was slightly sweaty, just like before.

"Practising magic?" he asked before he could think of the implications. Loki frowned at him.

"What makes you say that?"

Thor's heart skipped a beat. He could give himself away with the first thing he said.

"I don't know," he tried. "I suppose you must do that a lot."

"Yes?" answered Loki wearily. Thor was rather hurt, before he reminded himself that this was his own doing. "Did you want something?"

"No, nothing in particular," beamed Thor at him. "I just wanted to see you."

Loki actually seemed rather pleased with that answer. "Yes, we haven't seen much of each other lately."

"Perhaps we could go for a ride tomorrow, just the two of us," suggested Thor and Loki nodded. "But tell me, what have you been doing?"

"Well, you were right," replied Loki, though he seemed to have some misgivings. "I was trying a new spell."

"Will you show me?" asked Thor, settling himself in a chair. Loki studied him for a bit.

"It's just a small thing."

"Don't be shy," laughed Thor. Loki shrugged and got up, standing in the middle of the room like before, when Thor was watching without permission. Fascinated, Thor watched as Loki performed a version of the smoke spell, but this time he was making it flash with different colours and expanding it to such width and height that it almost filled the room, before shrinking it with a click of his fingers, and making it fly all over the room and then expanding it again. When he finally made it disappear, he looked at Thor and before he could smooth his face into indifference, Thor could see a hint of self-consciousness.

"That was amazing!" proclaimed Thor, meaning every word. "I've never seen anything like that."

"I didn't think you would appreciate it," said Loki seemingly dismissively, but Thor knew that he was pleased. He got up and grasped Loki's shoulder gently.

"Of course I appreciate it," he told him softly. "You are so accomplished, brother; I cannot imagine anyone besting you."

Loki smiled a genuine, nice smile and Thor was overwhelmed with affection and pulled his brother into a tight hug.

"Thor," laughed Loki, but he wrapped his arms around Thor's back. "What's gotten into you?"

Thor pulled back a bit. "I've missed you, that's all."

 

The next day, they went for the promised ride. Thor couldn't recall the last time he had had so much fun or when he had seen Loki so careless and happy. They raced their horses down the hills, breathless and laughing and then wandered slowly through a thin forest. When they reached a nice clearing, they agreed to dismount and rest.

Loki's hair was dishevelled from the speed and the wind and his cheeks were rosy, and Thor couldn't help but notice. It reminded him a bit of Loki's state after he... better not go there.

"What?" asked Loki, trying to smooth out his hair and Thor realized that he had been staring.

"Nothing, sorry," he said quickly and sat down against a trunk of a huge tree. Loki went to join him and stumbled a bit over a protruding root, so he arrived to the ground a bit heavily, bumping into Thor. They laughed and Thor found that his arms had a bit of a mind of their own, as one of them sneaked around Loki's waist, pulling him against his side even closer. Loki tensed for a fraction of second, but then relaxed. Thor let out a breath that he had been holding. Then he turned to say something, but the words never left his mouth. Loki was leaning his head against the trunk, basking in the rays of sunlight that passed through the leaves and branches. His neck was taunt and exposed and Thor felt a rush of desire flow through his veins. He wanted to suck and bite that lovely neck.

"Why do you keep staring at me today, Thor?" asked Loki suddenly and Thor startled, eyes flying up to see that Loki wasn't even looking at him, his eyes still closed against the sun.

"How do you know I'm staring?"

"I know you. I can feel it," replied Loki, finally looking at Thor. He didn't look mad.

"I..." began Thor. "I'm sorry. Does it bother you?"

"Not really, no," said Loki with a smile. "But I would like to know why you do it."

"I suppose I see things I used to be blind to," formulated Thor with some difficulty.

Loki's eyes widened and Thor bit his tongue. That sounded a bit heavier than he had meant it to sound. Or did it?

"Such as?" murmured Loki quietly, his face close to Thor's. Thor swallowed. He was not a man of many words. Instead, he leaned in and covered the very short distance between himself and Loki and pressed his lips to Loki's.

A voice in his head immediately started yelling at him. What was he doing? Loki would blast him to the other side of the universe any second now and with good reason, too. This was wrong and shocking and absolutely... perfect. Loki still wasn't pulling away and Thor decided that since he had already damned himself, he might as well enjoy it. Loki's lips were soft and warm and he couldn't help his tongue darting out to taste them. When he felt more than heard Loki moan and his lips parted to welcome him closer, all reason left him and he pulled his brother into a crushing embrace and deepened the kiss with passion.

When they finally parted, silence descended upon them, neither one daring to speak, fearing the other's reaction.

"I... do you... " stuttered Thor, not knowing what to say.

"That's what you have been seeing?" asked Loki with an unreadable tone and Thor froze.

"Not only," he got out. "Do you want me to say I'm sorry?"

"Are you sorry?" There. Thor felt relief. There was the flash of hope. Loki most certainly didn't want him to be sorry.

"No. Not at all," he said with a smile and claimed Loki's mouth once more.


End file.
